Lipstick Compulsion
by Karre
Summary: Ban wakes up in an unfamiliar bedroom and indulges in a guilty pleasure.


Title: Lipstick Compulsion

Author: Louie Gilligan

Pairing: Ban/Anonymous Woman #17

Rating: Pg

Warnings: Implied underage boy slut!Ban. Implied sex with an OC, but I swear to God, she's only a plot device. She doesn't even have a name, she means nothing to me!

Summary: Ban wakes up in an unfamiliar bedroom and indulges in a guilty pleasure.

Ban woke to the sound of rushing water in the bathroom. He didn't instantly recognize the room, but then, he'd been rather distracted when he'd first come in last night. He stretched luxuriously, relishing the gentle muscle ache that bespoke of a night well- if nefariously- spent. Observing the room now, it was dainty and clean. Slightly disorganized and decorated eclectically, but pleasantly so.

He stretched again, mentally prioritizing his day. He needed to get back to the house soon. Himiko was going be furious and worried over his seeming disappearance, and Yamato would be irritating as hell when he figured out what Ban had been doing. Himiko would likely be angry with him for hours, which could horrific since she'd recently mastered her puppet scent. And Yamato would need a bribe to keep his damn mouth shut. Resignedly, he began to dress.

The bathroom door swung open and his host for last evening stepped out, vigorously toweling her hair. "Good morning!" she greeted, smiling. "You were sleeping so soundly, I thought I would have to go to work and leave you here."

Ban laughed, doing up his shirt buttons. "You gave me a work out," he said, leering a bit. "You can't really blame me." He bent to pull on his pants. "I would have found my way out, eventually. I'd hate for your husband to come home unexpectedly."

"Oh, his flight doesn't come in until after five this evening," she said dismissively, sitting down at her vanity. He paused while pulling on his boots, watching intently as she brushed and styled her hair. He was utterly captivated by the deftness of those fine fingers. "You can take a shower if you want," she offered, noticing his stare.

Ban blushed lightly, having been caught. "I can take one when I get back to my place," he said, trying to sound casual. "I'd rather…" he flushed deeper, but brought his eyes to hers in the mirror.

It was her turn to laugh. "You can watch," she agreed, looking flattered. She reached for her makeup. "How old did you say you were?"

"Eighteen," he lied immediately. She raised her eyebrow disbelievingly but went back to her task.

Ban followed each stroke of finger and brush, raptly watching the slow transformation. He'd discovered this strange pleasure as a child, watching one of the young coven sisters prepare for a rite. Then, he'd sworn it was magic. Now, he knew that it was.

The coven sister had morphed from a strong, wise, unbendable woman into a beguiling, fragile, mysterious creature: unknowable and uncatchable as a star. There had been no incantation or potion, just a subtle shift that could not be pinpointed. She had looked exactly the same and completely different. And Ban had been allowed to watch. It had been thrilling to know he had seen both of her faces and the metamorphosis that came between.

And now, in this unfamiliar bedroom, it was still thrilling. He marveled that the playful, warm daredevil he'd spent the night with was gone, replaced by an untouchable, diamond hard woman who looked cold to the touch. He watched as she dressed, each piece of clothing cementing the spell.

It was strangely satisfying to think that no person who looked at her today would see the woman he had seen last night. That only he and the few individuals who had ever sat on this bed at this time of morning knew her secret.

He smiled genuinely at her as he stood, placing a kiss on her brow. "Thank you." He tossed his head cavalierly. "I better go before the neighbors open their curtains," he drawled, flashing a devil-may-care grin. "Wouldn't want to start a scandal."

He slipped out of the back door, schooling his posture into his usual surly, arrogant stance. Making his way back toward his adopted family, he cast an appreciative eye to all the made-up women on the street. He hopped a fence, bringing him into a less wealthy side of town and began concocting an excuse to tell Himiko.


End file.
